The Age of Fable eBook

“Under tower
and balcony,
By garden-wall
and gallery,
A gleaming shape
she floated by,
A corse between
the houses high,
Silent
into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs
they came,
Knight and burgher,
lord and dame,
And round the
prow they read her name,
‘The
Lady of Shalott’

“Who is
this? and what is here?
And in the lighted
palace near
Died the sound
of royal cheer;
And they crossed
themselves for fear,

All the knights
at Camelot.
But Launcelot
mused a little space;
He said, ’She
has a lovely face;
God in his mercy
lend her grace,
The
Lady of Shalott.’”

CHAPTER XI

QUEEN GUENEVER’S PERIL

It happened at this time that Queen Guenever was thrown
into great peril of her life. A certain squire
who was in her immediate service, having some cause
of animosity to Sir Gawain, determined to destroy
him by poison, at a public entertainment. For
this purpose he concealed the poison in an apple of
fine appearance, which he placed on the top of several
others, and put the dish before the queen, hoping
that, as Sir Gawain was the knight of greatest dignity,
she would present the apple to him. But it happened
that a Scottish knight of high distinction, who arrived
on that day, was seated next to the queen, and to him
as a stranger she presented the apple, which he had
no sooner eaten than he was seized with dreadful pain,
and fell senseless. The whole court was, of course,
thrown into confusion; the knights rose from table,
darting looks of indignation at the wretched queen,
whose tears and protestations were unable to remove
their suspicions. In spite of all that could
be done the knight died, and nothing remained but
to order a magnificent funeral and monument for him,
which was done.

Some time after Sir Mador, brother of the murdered
knight, arrived at Arthur’s court in quest of
him. While hunting in the forest he by chance
came to the spot where the monument was erected, read
the inscription, and returned to court determined on
immediate and signal vengeance. He rode into
the hall, loudly accused the queen of treason, and
insisted on her being given up for punishment, unless
she should find by a certain day a knight hardy enough
to risk his life in support of her innocence.
Arthur, powerful as he was, did not dare to deny the
appeal, but was compelled with a heavy heart to accept
it, and Mador sternly took his departure, leaving
the royal couple plunged in terror and anxiety.